News, Publications & Research

Calling all campus whiz kids for Constitution Day Jeopardy

SBU’s Center for Law and Society to host qualifying exams Sept. 11 and 12

By Jocelyn Williams, ’13, ’15

Answer: An event hosted by St. Bonaventure University’s Center for Law and Society that tests students’ knowledge of the American Constitution, and the winner receives free textbooks for a semester.

Question: What is Constitution Jeopardy?

To coincide with National Constitution Day, SBU's Center for Law & Society is looking for nine students to participate in the third annual Constitution Day Jeopardy competition. The SBU student who is ultimately crowned Constitution Jeopardy champion will receive a semester’s worth of textbooks (up to $350), with second place winning $100 Bona Bucks and third place winning $50 Bona Bucks.

Interested students can take a qualifying exam on either Thursday, Sept. 11, at 4 p.m. or Friday, Sept. 12, at 6 p.m. in Plassmann 205A (Center for Law and Society room).

The top nine qualifiers will compete in three Jeopardy-like competitions at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 16, in Walsh Amphitheater. The top three contestants from Tuesday night will compete again the following night, at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 17, in Walsh Amphitheater for the grand prize.

The competition is open to undergraduate and graduate students from all majors and fields of study. There is no cost to enter.

Constitution Day was established in 2004. Championed by the late U.S. Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), the law mandates that any educational institution that is publicly funded must provide educational programming about the American Constitution on Sept. 17.

Dr. Steven Nuttall, associate professor of philosophy, said The Center for Law and Society’s Constitution Jeopardy is a fun way for playful interdepartmental competition.

“This is a great opportunity to fulfill our required mandate in a fun way that gets the entire university involved,” he said.